A Shadow's Impostor
by Kenmiester2012
Summary: With the whole planet against him for a crime he didn't commit, Shadow the Hedgehog journeys around Earth to prove his innocence and find clues on this mysterious impostor; Volt the Hedgehog. Rated T for language and possible gore.
1. On the Run

**Welcome to A Shadow's Imposter! This takes place a few months after Sonic Lost Worlds. Enjoy!**

* * *

Shadow was running; running faster than he had ever ran before. Everything he had done; all the relationships he had built. All destroyed in an instant. He used to be a hero; the Ultimate Life Form. Now he was GUN's most wanted; the Master Criminal. The entire planet was against him again. And this time, there was nobody to turn to.

He jumped out of the way as a giant yellow laser shot past him. He quickly dodged as a tank shell impacted the street, creating a massive crater. Taking a second to look ahead; he saw GUN Snipers taking aim from the rooftops. He increased his hover-shoes' output; making him travel faster than sound. He saw the laser targeting lights trying to track his movements, but Shadow continued to evade them.

He could see the city's boarder. Once he got out of the city; nothing could keep up with him, making him next-to-impossible to find. The thought of freedom distracted him enough that he didn't notice the tank shell heading for the ground in front of him. The shell impacted, creating an explosion that sent Shadow and anything else around him flying upwards. He hit the ground with a loud _THUD!_ When he regained his senses, he tried to stand up. As he rose, he felt his head poked by the barrel of a gun.

Slowly looking up, Shadow realized that his vision was still blurry from the hit. All Shadow could see was a blurry blue-and-grey shape. Through the ringing in his ears, he heard the person talk. "Commander," said the voice; oddly familiar to Shadow, "this is Agent S; I have captured the Hedgehog. Repeat; I have captured Shadow the Hedgehog." As his vision started coming back to him, Shadow started seeing the assailant's emerald-green eyes. There was a _BANG!_ and Shadow's vision went dark again.

* * *

When Shadow came-to, he found himself lying on a bed in a GUN containment cell. He heard voices outside. He walked to the door and looked outside to see two GUN soldiers standing guard. Shadow pounded on the door loudly with his fists. "Soldiers, let me out of here; NOW!" he yelled, barring his teeth. "THAT IS AN ORDER!"

"Sorry sir," said one of the Soldiers. "Agent S gave us specific instructions not to let you out."

"And who exactly is this _'Agent S'_?" Shadow asked, "I've never heard of him. Surely a new agent would not have high enough authority to tell soldiers what they can and can't do."

The soldier's attention never strayed. "Sorry sir." he said. "You know the consequences of failure in GUN."

"If I won't be released," he said. "I demand that I see this Agent S!" The soldiers looked at each other, and then back to Shadow. After a few minutes of thinking, one of the guards left the area.

"So," said Shadow; trying to make conversation, "When did this Agent join GUN?"

"He was appointed to catch you." said the guard. "He volunteered himself to the President himself. Surprised you didn't see him when he shot you with the knock-out dart."

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I had just got hit with a tank shell." He said sarcastically. "I'm surprised that I'm still in one piece after that!" he paused for a moment to cool off, "Why did the president agree? Not just anybody joins GUN."

The guard shook his head and shrugged. "I didn't get that part. It was something about him being the only person who could catch you."

"SOLDIER!" yelled a voice from the other end of the hallway. "ATTENTION!" With that, the soldier snapped back into guard position, not taking his eyes off the hallway. Shadow on the other-hand was shocked.

Standing in front of him _was_ the only person physically capable of catching him. Dressed in GUN uniform, was Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic looked at the guard. "Dismissed." he said. As the guard marched away, he looked back at Shadow. "How could you do it Shadow?" he asked. "You went from someone that would save countless lives to someone that would take them in… what; a day?"

Shadow looked confused. "I have no idea what you're talking…"

"DON'T YOU GIVE ME THAT SHIT!" yelled Sonic, whose eyes were starting to tear up. "I DEFENDED YOU WHEN YOUR 'DADDY' VISITED EARTH! I PARTICIPATED IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES WITH YOU! I EVEN INVITED YOU TO MY FUCKING BIRTHDAY!" He turned away. "And you repay me like this…"

He reached for Shadow's report. "Westopolis in ruins." He read. "There are 1000 civilians dead. 6000 civilians injured. You caused $4,000,000,000 worth of property damage. Your record goes on and on." He flipped the page. "Your charges are property damage; resisting arrest; assaulting an officer and murder. You are no longer under arrest Shadow." He said. Shadow's spirits lifted slightly. "The entire population of Earth has ordered your execution!"

Shadow's heard sank. He was going to be executed. Whether it is in public or in private; he was going to die. Shadow said. "I don't know what you're talking about! I can prove it too! Ask Rouge, she was with me at Club Rouge in Central City!"

Sonic looked at him. "Shadow," he said. "Rouge was found dead in a dumpster next to her club. We suspected it was you; since you were the last one seen with her."

Shadow stayed silent. Rouge was dead. Everything he had going with her; gone. "When is my execution?" he asked.

Sonic flipped through his schedule. "June 5th, one week from now." he said. "Tails is the one designing the machine. He promised it would be painless."

Shadow walked to his bed, his head hanging low. "I don't care." He said. He sat down. "I have anything to live for anymore. Tell the Commander I want the execution rescheduled for tomorrow. And tell the fox to be as cruel as he wants."

Sonic nodded and took his leave. "For all it's worth," he said. "You were a great friend while it lasted."

"Go fuck yourself." said Shadow coldly. "Just go away."

"Shadow," said Sonic. "I'm sure if you plea your case to the president, you may be released with guards watching you. It would be better than dying."

"I SAID GO AWAY!" yelled Shadow, striking the door with his fist; creating a hole. Shadow suddenly felt electricity surging throughout his body. When the feeling stopped he gasped for breath. "What the _fuck_ was that?"

"A precaution we added." said Agent S. "It was designed to stop you from escaping. It electrically shocks you when there is a hole in the cell or when you use your chaos abilities. See you tomorrow during the execution."

Sonic left, leaving Shadow alone with the other inmates. He laid down on his 'bed' and closed his eyes; knowing that tonight would be the last sleep he would ever get.

* * *

Shadow woke with a start. He looked at the digital clock in the hallway. Midnight. Shadow looked around the cell, as if he had expected to find something with him. He didn't expect his suspicions to be correct.

Sitting on the 'bed', was a dark-blue hedgehog. He sported the exact same spike-style as Shadow, but had cyan accents instead of red. On the stranger's feet were shoes similar in shape to his own hover-shoes; but were silver and had metal shin-guards on his legs. Around his wrists and ankles were silver rings, and around his hands were cloth gloves. Attached to the rings were metal arm-guards that went up to his elbow. The weirdest thing, however; was the fact he was laughing.

"Created to be the Ultimate Life-form," he said. "Built stronger, faster. Deadly."

Shadow frowned, recognizing the tale. "Who are you?" he asked. "And how do you know of Project Shadow?"

The hedgehog got up, rising to Shadow's height. "Shadow the Hedgehog." He said. The hedgehog opened his eyes, revealing black sclera and red and cyan heterochromia. "The living weapon. How far you have fallen. "And all for a crime you didn't commit."

Shadow thought for a second, then instinctively charged a Chaos Spear. The collar around his neck activated and electricity started coursing throughout Shadow's body. When the pain died down, Shadow growled at the stranger. "Who… are… you?" he asked.

The Hedgehog admired his hands. "You were named 'Shadow' due to the secret project you were a part of." He said. Sparks started dancing between his fingertips. "Call me Volt."

Shadow glared at Volt. "How do you know about project Shadow?" he asked. Volt laughed. "What's so _damn_ funny?"

"You honestly didn't figure that out yet?" he asked, "I know of project Shadow because I was created by the only living person who is related to one of the scientists."

Shadow's eyes widened. "Dr. Eggman?" he asked in disbelief. "But I was created with the DNA of an Alien I killed! How could you be created with that formula?"

Volt laughed again. "That's because the Doctor improved on the formula, creating the perfect result; a weapon that controls electricity!" He created a large ball of Electricity in his hands. "The most commonly used energy on Earth! With my powers, I basically control all technology!"

Shadow thought about this for a minute. He suddenly struck realization. "It was YOU; wasn't it?" he asked. "YOU were the one who destroyed Westopolis and killed Rouge!"

Volt laughed again. "Right on both accounts!" he said. "But I'm not working alone," the lights started flickering cyan blue. "**We **have much bigger plans for this planet!" With that, Volt turned into a cyan bolt of electricity and flew into the lights.

"What was that about?" Shadow asked to nobody in particular. "Well, no use thinking about it now. I'll be dead by dinner tomorrow."

* * *

Shadow, guarded by two GUN soldiers, was walking down a hallway. Looking up, he saw a door at the end of the hallway. Shadow knew that whatever was behind that door, was meant to end his life. He remembered his encounter with Volt the previous night, how he had explained that HE was to blame for the death and destruction. He could feel Chaos energy building inside him and braced himself for the shock… that didn't happen.

Shadow examined the collar and saw the small screen in static and the light beside it yellow. As soon as he realized the situation, Shadow teleported behind one of the guards and kicked him. The second guard rushed for a 'red alert' button, but was stopped by a low-power Chaos Spear in his back. Even at that power level, the man was sent flying; and hit the button. Red lights turned on and an alarm started blaring. He quickly searched the guards and found the keys to his hand-cuffs. He found them and unlocked the cuffs, throwing them and the key on the ground.

"Shadow, wait!" said a voice behind him. He turned around to see Sonic running at him from the open doorway. "You're not getting away!" Shadow, out of reaction, teleported behind the blue hedgehog and knocked him over the head with a punch. Sonic fell to the ground, unconscious. Hearing the sound of incoming guards, Shadow teleported out of the base.

After recovering from his long-range teleportation, he found himself standing in a jungle. One thought overcame all of them though.

He was free. And now, he had to prove his innocence.

* * *

**The Hedgehog Shadow met is my OC, Volt the Hedgehog. Controls electricity and the like... yeah, not so original. Anyway, just a quick hint, no; Eggman is not the person Volt is working with. You'll just have to wait and see.**


	2. My Enemy's Enemy

**Welcome back to A Shadow's ****Impostor! This chapter revolves mostly around Agent Sonic (S) and G.U.N., but there will be a small scene with Shadow at the end.**

* * *

**G.U.N. Headquarters - Sonic's Room ~ June 14, 2014 - 11:30 AM**

Sonic the Hedgehog was pacing in his quarters. It had been two full weeks since Shadow escaped custody, and there was still no sign of him. Nothing from any city, nothing from any Mobian communities in the forests, nothing anywhere. If Shadow really did destroy Westopolis, why hadn't he destroyed another city by this point?

All the points led to Shadow. There was recovered security footage of a hedgehog destroying killing people, but even with the silhouette, it was obviously him. The spike style matched, as did the shape of his shoes. The hedgehog in the video _did _have ankle and arm bracers, but they could've been disposed of. But if Shadow wants someone dead (usually it was an Eggman Mech or something), he wouldn't be so open about it. The hedgehog in the video was making his destruction so obvious, as if he wanted to get caught. Shadow's style was to plant a bunch of bombs around the city and detonate them at once. That, however, was not a valid excuse. Shadow could've purposely changed his strategy to make the authorities _**think **_that it wasn't him, then shoot them when they turn their backs.

What really shocked Sonic was how convincing Shadow's acting was. When they were still friends, Shadow was never known for being a convincing liar. You could clearly tell whether or not he was telling the truth simply by listening to the tone of his voice. But with this, he seemed almost _certain _that he didn't do it. As if he had no memory of destroying the city or killing Rouge. He seemed perfectly confident of his Alibi.

Sonic shook his head. "No," he said to himself. "Shadow is a criminal, and will face execution for his crimes." Sonic turned to his desk. Sitting on top of it was a computer; one he had been given from G.U.N., and a picture taken on his birthday, shortly after 'Classic' Sonic and 'Classic' Tails ('Classic' being the title Knuckles had given them) had left. He picked up the photo and admired it, remembering the good times.

Sonic himself was giving the camera a thumbs-up, while placing his other hand on Tails' shoulder. Tails was smiling gleefully, giving a thumbs-up as well. On Sonic's other side was Knuckles; who had his arms crossed and was giving the camera a smirk. Beside Knuckles was the Chaotix (minus Mighty, who had returned the invitation in pieces), with Vector and Charmy eating massive pieces of cake with their hands, and Espio facepalming at their behaviour. In the second row were Silver, Blaze and Rouge all talking. Finally, leaning on a tree in the background was Shadow. No cake, no party favours, nothing.

As Sonic put the photo down, a buzz came from the speaker in his wall. Pressing a button, Sonic answered the call. "Yes Commander?" he said.

"Sonic," said the voice of Abraham Tower; the Commander of G.U.N., "I would like you and the new recruits to meet me in the conference hall in 20 minutes."

Sonic saluted, even though he knew the Commander wouldn't know if he didn't. "Yes, Commander!" he said. Ending the call, Sonic opened his door and sped to find the rest of the recruits, closing the door behind him. Once he was gone, the motion detector automatically opened it as another blue hedgehog entered the chambers.

* * *

**G.U.N. Headquarters - Conference Hall ~ June 14, 2014 - 11:50 AM**

20 minutes after having gotten the order, Sonic opened the door; and allowed the other recruits to sit. First through the door came Tails, who had joined shortly after Sonic. Second came Knuckles; who had joined for the simple reason of Shadow misusing Chaos energy. Third was a bat named Rose; who was apparently a un-mentioned relative of Rouge's, who had joined to avenge her sister's death. Lastly was Silver, who was a time-travelling law enforcer. He had joined when he heard that Shadow could muck up time. Once the recruits were in the hall, Sonic joined them sitting around the large table.

At the end of the table sat the Commander, his expression one of concern. Behind him was a screen with nothing on it. "Recruits," he said. "as you know, you were hired to capture G.U.N.'s current most wanted criminal..." he picked up a remote and pressed a button. "...Shadow the Hedgehog." He clicked the button again, this time a picture of a ruined city popping up. "This is Westopolis; one of G.U.N.'s most key cities in the United States… after it was attacked by Shadow." He pressed the button again, turning the screen black. "Unfortunately, desperate times call for desperate measures. And we've been made desperate." He clicked a button on the table, opening a call to a unknown receiver. "Let's hope he agrees to help."

* * *

**Unknown Location ~ June 14, 2014 - 11:52 AM**

A large man watched a holographic screen as a silhouetted hedgehog destroyed Westopolis. The man was large, very large. He had abnormally long legs and had black tights connected to his boots covering them. On his body was a red coat with yellow accents. Across half of his face was a gloriously large orange mustache, the other half fairly long, but still growing from his accident in the Lost Hex. "What is he doing?" he said to himself. "He's destroying EVERYTHING! How can I take over the city to start the Eggman Empire if there is no city?! It's the Black Alien incident all-over-again!"

A door opened behind him, and a round robot walked in, holding a telephone in it's hands. Rudely snatching the phone out of its hands, he yelled into the receiver. "WHAT?!"

"Dr Eggman." stated the voice, calm and collected; but still demanding. "This is the Commander of the Guardians Unit of Nations." Eggman was tempted to hang up there, but he was curious as to why G.U.N. was calling him. "We have an offer for you. One you'll find… most intriguing."

Pressing a button on a nearby desk, a chair rose from the ground the ground. Sitting comfortably in his chair, Dr. Eggman replied. "I'm listening…"

"I'm sure by now you are aware of Shadow the Hedgehog's devastation of Westopolis?" the Commander asked. Eggman stayed silent, knowing telling the truth would get him in deep trouble… again. "G.U.N. is willing to give you a pardon for all of your crimes if you lend us aid in capturing the rogue Agent."

"What kind of… aid?" Eggman asked.

"We already have a small elite commando unit of specially trained Mobians here." stated the Commander. "All we need is any aid you can provide. Information leading to him, actual aid from your army… anything is appreciated."

Eggman stayed silent for a little bit. "What about Omega?" he asked. "Surely you don't need two of my superweapons."

Through the receiver, the Commander sighed. "Unfortunately, Shadow managed to corrupt Omega's information core. Right now he is either crying oil or excreting blocks of copper. Our lead scientists are trying to find a way to restore his memory, but that could take a little while."

Eggman laughed. "If you need my help so badly, I'll send a delivery ship to drop off a robot to help. I want him back as soon as Omega is up and running. If that arsenal sees this robot, he'll blow it up!"

"Thank you Doctor," said the Commander. "Drop the Robot off within the hour. You will not regret this." With that, he hung up.

Dr. Eggman swirled his chair to face his desk. "I'd better not." he said to himself. "I've had too many broken deals already."

* * *

**G.U.N. Headquarters - Vault ~ June 14, 2014 - 12:00 PM**

Two soldiers were standing guard outside of the G.U.N. vault. When ex-Agent Shadow broke free from their escort, they were demoted to guard duty. They were both unhappy about their new position, but found themselves honored all the same.

This vault contained very valuable and powerful artifacts; two of the seven Chaos Emeralds. If G.U.N. trusted them enough to watch over the Emeralds, they must still trust them a lot. One of them looked to his watch. Noon. They were about to break for lunch when a voice rang through the hallways.

"Aren't you two those idiots who let Shadow escape?" The both lifted their machine guns up and readied to fire. "Don't bother looking for me." he said. "I'm in the one place you'd never look."

"And where would that be?" asked the braver of the two guards, listening for any sounds that would give away the intruder's position.

"Right behind you." the intruder said. Both of the guards started having spasms as electricity coursed through their bodies. They fell to the floor, dead and smoking.

Volt took a deep breath in. "Ah," he said. "I love Barbecue. Don't you?" Neither guards answered. "Oh yeah, you're dead." He laughed as he looted one of the guards of his passcard. He swiped the card into the scanner.

'PLEASE ENTER PASSWORD' said a computerized female voice. A small keyboard opened up, revealing numbers 1-99.

"Really?" Volt said to himself. He dropped the passcard and typed the password, talking it through as he did it. "1-95-0. The year G.U.N. raided the ARK." The vault doors opened, revealing

a pillar with a large glass tube surrounding it. Placed on the pillar in two of seven placements were the two Chaos Emeralds G.U.N. has. Because he didn't simply break the door down, the glass pillar retracted into the floor.

He snatched the Chaos Emeralds and stored them somewhere on him for storage. "That makes three. The Doctor will be happy to hear this." With that, he teleported away; leaving nothing but a lack of emeralds and two dead guards to mark his passing.

* * *

**G.U.N. Headquarters - Courtyard ~ June 14, 2014 - 12:37 PM**

Sonic, his squadron and the _G.U.N._ Commander stood outside _G.U.N._ HQ, awaiting the arrival of Eggman's support. A few seconds later, a small Egg-cruiser came into view over the horizon, moving _very_ slowly.

Taking a second, Sonic looked at his squadron. Tails looked the same, save for a pair of goggles and a toolbelt. Knux looked similar, but he'd gotten mechanical knuckles from Tails and a pair of _G.U.N._-brand shoulder-guards. Silver hadn't changed, he still refused to change his weed-shaped spike style. Rose was… different. Less professional to be blunt. She had a lock of white hair covering her left eye, and had a black, skin-tight latex costume with pink and red accents. Her wings looked exactly like those of Rouge, probably family relation.

As he turned his attention back to the cruiser, it dropped a metal crate from the sky above them… literally. While all the other soldiers scrambled for cover, Sonic jumped and grabbed the Commander. The crate landed with a loud crash, creating a large crack in the concrete where it landed. As the Agents slowly approached the crate, it started to unfold.

When the crate completely unfolded, a robot was standing on top of a metal platform. It looked exactly like Omega, but it was green and silver instead of red and gold. It also had the Greek letter Sigma on each of it's shoulders. A small compartment in it's chest opened up and projected a hologram of Dr. Eggman.

"Commander," he said. He turned to Sonic and his squad. "G.U.N. agents, this is E-122 Sigma; the last of the E-series I've got left. You can use it to catch Shadow, but I am giving you one simple instruction." He leered at Sonic in particular. "I. Want. It. Back. In one piece."

"You have my word Doctor," said the Commander. "E-122 Sigma will be brought back to you in one piece once ex-Agent Shadow is captured."

"See ya, Egghead!" said Sonic. He smirked at his insult, but composed himself when the Commander gave him a look. Eggman simply growled and shut the projection off.

Sigma turned on, his eyes flashing a cyan color. It looked at the Commander and soluted. "**E-122 SIGMA READY TO SERVE FOR THE GLORY OF THE EGGMAN EMPIRE!**" It said in it's robotic voice. "**I WILL ASSIST **_**G.U.N.**_** IN CAPTURING SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG FOR CRIMES GREATER THAN MANY OF MY LORD; ROBOTNIK.**"

The Commander nodded and turned to Sonic. "Agent S," he said. "You will be leading this squadron of Mobians and Sigma to find Shadow and bring him to justice." He leaned in closer to Sonic's ear. He whispered, "And if Sigma tries anything, send him back to Eggman in a box."

Sonic smirked and saluted. "Sir, yes sir!" he said.

"Dismissed." the Commander said. Before Sonic could turn his squad around and head back inside, A _G.U.N. _soldier walked up to the commander, saluted, then whispered something in his ear. "Agents," he said. "Recent intelligence says that Shadow has been spotted near the forest village of Knothole. You are to leave for the Green Forest in half-an-hour. Gather your belongings and meet Agent Tails in the launch bay."

"SIR, YES SIR!" yelled the squad. With that, they turned and marched inside.

* * *

**Green Forest - Unidentified Location ~ June 14, 2014 - 11:59 PM**

**(39 minutes earlier)**

Two weeks. That is how long Shadow had been walking through this seemingly endless forest. Ever since he escaped from G.U.N., he'd been trudging through what he remembered to be Green Forest. He managed to pick up an M9 gun and some ammunition from an old G.U.N. Beetle drone, and was already running out of ammo.

When he arrived here, he had forgotten how hostile the non-Mobian animals can be. He had a nasty run-in with a Tiger, which managed to cut his leg and give him a large scar across his right eye. He managed to kill the animal, but he missed a lot of shots.

"About four shots left." He said to himself. He put the gun away, and continued trekking. After about a half an hour more of walking, thankfully with no encounters with wild animals; he finally reached a clearing. He cautiously hid behind a tree and peered around the trunk.

What he saw was a small Mobian village. He sighed and started walking. He new that G.U.N. had no power in the Mobian areas of Earth; that pleasure rested in the hands of the royal Acorn family. He felt a feeling of nostalgia as he passed the sign reading:

**Knothole**

**Population: 96**

"Let's just hope that nobody remembers me." Shadow said to himself. His ears perked up when he heard a faint buzzing noise. He looked around him. Nothing in the Forest, nobody seems to have noticed him from the village. He looked up and saw it; a G.U.N. Gold Beetle floating in the sky. "Shit!" he exclaimed. He pulled out the gun and fired 3 of his shots: 1 to its camera, 1 to its left and 1 to its right. As the bullet aimed for its camera neared its target, the Beetle turned invisible and disappeared from sight. A few seconds later, a bullet to the left of the Robot's original met its mark and there was a small explosion in the sky. Scorched pieces of Golden metal rained from the sky, marking the end of the scout-robot.

Content with his work, but worried now that G.U.N. knew his position; he limped into Knothole; the loss of blood in his leg catching up with him. He limped through the village, not caring about the looks that the inhabitants gave him. At last he reached a hut marked with a red cross. He knocked on the door and a grey-furred bat in a labcoat and glasses opened the door. "Vat can I help you vith?" he said in a German accent. He looked over Shadow's wounds "Oh my…" he slung Shadow's arm around his shoulders "Come here _mien Freund_. I promise I vil heal you." He led Shadow into the hospital and closed the door behind him.

* * *

**Just so you know, that bat at the end is supposed to be a reference to Team Fortress 2's Medic; hence the German accent and clothing. Sorry this took so long, a friend and I are working on a massive DLC-like fanfiction on Assassin's Creed. No telling when that will come out.**

**Leave what you think in the reviews. Like it if you did. Favorite it if you want... you get the idea.**

**Kenmiester, out**


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